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Hello, I'm a a vegan feminist scholar from Eskikewa’kik Nova Scotia and a member of the Lennox Island First Nation. I'm currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology & Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University, and an Affiliate Scientist at the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health in Toronto. Some of my research and scholarly work focussed on the intersection of vegan and Indigenous values.

Yet those who value only preserving Aboriginal tradition join with colonialism in seeing no place for a contemporary indigeneity. There’s more to my culture and to my relationship with the land, particularly as a woman, than hunting and killing animals. One must also be aware of changing circumstances and needs among the Mi’kmaq. As research shows, Mi’kmaq people living on reserve are dependent on store-bought food and, in addition, half of Canada’s Aboriginal population lives in urban areas. When Aboriginality is defined as a primordial lifestyle it reflects our intentional extinction as a people. The modern commercial fishery, often touted as offering economic security for Aboriginal communities, is even further removed from our Mi’kmaq values than modern day vegan practices are.

I was prompted to go vegan for really shallow reasons. It was summer and I wanted to drop a few pounds and didn't have time to learn anything about nutrition or calories. I quit caffeine, dairy, sugar, and salt. I tried tofu and switched to whole grains from white. I suppose I got the idea from perusing an online copy of Skinny Bitch.

Being vegan created a space where I could examine a lifetime of habits and realize that they no longer aligned with my values.